# PVC: Emissions

The coal-carbide route emits three to five times more

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/emissions/

What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint per tonne, split by lifecycle phase (feedstock, production, movement, use, end of life), the global total, other environmental impacts, levers and low-carbon routes, India's position, and where the investment opportunity lies. Emission intensity 3.70 t CO2e per t range about 1.9-2.2 on the ethylene route; about 6-10+ on the coal-carbide route (indicative) · global average weighted about 70% ethylene route and 30% carbide route; VCM about 3.5 t CO2e per t (VCM tile) plus polymerisation and drying Global emissions per year 175 Mt CO2e per year 2023-2025 · about 3.7 t x about 47 Mt (indicative)

Per t of suspension PVC resin, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: derived from VCM tile; Plastics Europe PVC eco-profile about 2 t CO2e per t (indicative); Chinese carbide-route LCA literature (indicative). Global total: derived (indicative).

#### Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
 Feedstock 93% Production / process 5% Movement 2%

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Feedstock** | about 3.5 t CO2e per t (VCM, including chlorine and ethylene or carbide) | 93% | Carbide arc furnaces on coal power, coal and coke; chlor-alkali power; ethylene cracking | The carbide route is 3-5 times the ethylene route | VCM tile (indicative) |
| **Production / process** | about 0.2 t CO2e per t | 5% | Steam for VCM stripping and resin drying, power for reactors | Emulsion PVC uses more drying energy | indicative |
| **Movement** | about 0.05 t CO2e per t | 2% | Container shipping | About a fifth crosses borders | indicative |
| **Use** | not applicable | – | No direct emissions | Plasticisers can migrate from flexible PVC; uPVC windows can cut building heat loss versus single-glazed metal frames (indicative) | n/a |
| **End of life** | about 1.4 t CO2 per t if incinerated, plus HCl; near zero in landfill | – | Long life of pipes and profiles; legacy additives | Most PVC is still in use; Europe's VinylPlus reports about 0.7 Mt a year recycled (indicative, 2023). PVC in packaging contaminates PET recycling. Globally only about 9% of plastic waste was recycled in 2019; about 19% was incinerated, about 50% landfilled and 22% mismanaged (indicative, OECD Global Plastics Outlook 2022). | stoichiometric; VinylPlus (indicative); OECD 2022 (indicative) |

#### Other environmental impacts

Mercury use and emissions on the carbide route; carbide slag; VCM is a human carcinogen; dioxins from open burning of PVC waste, a real risk in Indian dumpsites; legacy lead and phthalates in old products.

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Replace carbide-route PVC with ethylene-route PVC: cuts about 4-8 t CO2e per t (VCM tile, indicative); India's new domestic ethylene-based capacity displaces Chinese carbide imports.
- Renewable power for chlor-alkali: chlorine's power use is the largest controllable item on the ethylene route (DCM Shriram added 44 MW of hybrid renewable power, chlorine tile).
- Mercury-free catalysts for acetylene hydrochlorination, required in direction by the Minamata Convention.
- Recycle pipe, profile and cable waste; VinylPlus Europe recycles about 0.7 Mt a year (indicative).
- Lead-free (calcium-zinc) stabilisers and non-phthalate plasticisers to make recyclate usable.

#### India

India's PVC footprint depends on origin: Chinese carbide-route imports (1.17 Mt of S-PVC in 2025) carry about 6-10 t CO2e per t, while Reliance's ethylene-based output is about 2 t (VCM tile, indicative). India's chlor-alkali runs on coal-heavy power (chlorine tile).
 Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.

#### Low-carbon routes

| Route | Intensity | Cost premium | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Ethylene-route PVC with renewable-powered chlor-alkali and bio-attributed ethylene** | below 1-1.5 t CO2e per t (indicative) | not published | bio-attributed PVC sold in Europe (INEOS Inovyn Biovyn, indicative) | VCM tile (indicative) |
| **Mechanically recycled rigid PVC** | about 0.3-0.6 t CO2e per t (indicative) | usually below virgin (indicative) | established in Europe for window profiles and pipe cores (VinylPlus); limited in India | indicative |

 For a climate investor India's PVC deficit of about 3 Mt a year is a chance to build domestic ethylene-route capacity with renewable-powered chlor-alkali, which would cut the embedded footprint of Indian pipes by more than half versus Chinese carbide imports. What has to be true is protection from below-cost imports (the 2026 CVD case) and cheap clean power. Named projects: Adani's 1 Mt/yr Mundra PVC (development) and Reliance's expansions; chlor-alkali makers such as DCM Shriram are adding captive renewables.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pvc/links/index.md)